Pincers.



l. PFEIFFER, JR.

PINCERS.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.29. 1914.

l1134,980 l Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTvo-LITHO.4 WASH/Aufn -V 50 jaw and handle shape.4 They may be of any ,IMMANEL PFEIFFE'R, Jia., or BEDFORD, ivinssaciiusn'r'rs.

Piiicnns.

TQ aZVZwL-om it may concern: Y

Be itlrnown that I, IMMANUEL PFEIFFER,

Jr., of Bedford, inthe county of Middlesex rand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pincei's, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention ielatesto hand tools or iinpleinents of the type commonly known as pincers or pliers, and refers especially to such .implements having means for holding the jaws locked in adjusted or gripping positions. j

In most implements of this character, the locking devices are of a more or less pawl and ratchet or toothed segment type capable of holding the jaws only at either one of a plurality of predetermined relative positions, according to the spacing of the teeth.

of the ratchet or segment, and such devices are ineffective when thefarticlegripped the aws is of an intermediateY size.

The object of my invention is to provide y anvimproved implement of this jaw ktype having locking means capable of'securely holding` the jaws from spreading, regardless of the size of thev article grasped by theV jaws. y

To these ends my invention consists in locking mechanism including a rotatively adjustable worm or spirally ribbed member carried by one member of theimplement, to coperate with suitable projectionssuch as teeth of a segment, carried bythe other member. `With this: structure I v`provide meansV for. rendering the ulocking devices inoperative to enable the implement to be employed in any ordinarymanner.

, Of the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively side and edge views illustrating my invention in one of its embodiments. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.V Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating another embodiment. y

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in all of the views.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, two members 12 and 13,'pivotally connected at 141, are illustrated asl having a well known well-known or preferred form usual for iniplements of this character,V Thermember 12 is formed or provided with a toothed segment 15. The member 13 carries a woriny 16 which, when engaged with the toothed segy specification of Letters Pateat.

ratenteaapif. 6,1915.

Application filed September 29, 1914. Serial No. 864,151.

ment, locks the twor members against 'relative movement.-v The worm is litted to rotate'in anopening 17 in member 18`and has Y. its journalsor shaft 18 mounted in elongated bearings 1' orV slots 19. `Intersecting` each slot 19 substantially mid-way of its length, is a recess (Fig. 3) in which' is mountedV a spring-pressed stud 20 capable of yielding to permit the shaft 18 to be shifted to either. end of theslot l19 and held there. Vhen the parts are* yin the position indicated by full lines, the implementisV capable of use in the usual manner, the same.

as though no locking devices were present. The -worm can, however, ybe instantly shifted to the dotted line positionof Fig. 3,

etV

the. shaft 18 depressing the two rstuds 20.'. Y which thensnap back or upward to posiytively hold the wormr with its spiral rib or i ribs-interlocked withthe teeth of the seg-` ment. the jaws causes pressure of the teeth of the segment only against the sidel o f the worin` rib, and since the spiral lisla low-pitched one, such pressure cannot cause the worin to rotate. The worm can, however, bel readily rotated by the fingers of the userV to bring the proper portion of its rib or ribs intoengageinent with the 'toothed segment to cause the jaws of the two members tobelocked in Since any force tending to spreadr close engagementlwith the articlebetween the jaws, regardless of the exact size of such article. A

Suppose the user has closed the jawsiipon I f, when the worm is shifted from thefull line position of Fig; 3 toward the dotted 90 an articlel and then desires to loc'kjthem.y

line position, the worin rib fails to entera y space between the teeth of the segment, rota- `tion of the worm in. either directionpiwill bring` a portion 4of the ribopposite such space and the action of the springs vunder` the studs 20 will cause the rounded tops o f the studs to act as cams on the shaft 18 and complete the movement of the worm to locking position. Y l

While one side of the worm projects from the opening 17 sufficiently for ordinary conveniencel of manipulating it, f preferably form the opening entirely through the member 13 and enlarge the lower portion thereof as indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 3.

When, the worm is engaged with .ther

toothed :segment-or vsegmental rack, and

Athen rotated, its spiral ribv will act uponthe teeth to cause the jaws ofthe pincers to open or close to any extent desired, and will do this with such accuracy that the tips of the jaws or tips of the handles can be utilized as calipers.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that the members 12 and 13 are substantially the same form as in the other figures, and the member 12 has a toothed segment 15 to cooperate with a worm 16 carried by member 13. Instead, however, of shifting the worm toward and from the segment to lock and unlock the members, the two members are themselves relatively adjustable to engage and disengage the worm and segment. The shaft 18 of the worm is mounted in cylindrical bearings instead of slots, and the member 12 is formed with a keyhole opening or slot 21 for the pivot stud 14. usual with devices connected by stud and key-hole slot, the portion of the stud 14 which passes through the member 12 is iiattened. rFhis being a well-known connection the details need not be further described or-illustra-ted herein. 1t is sufficientto explain that one member has a pivot stud capable of being shifted to either one f two bearings in the other member, which `two bearings are at different distances from the toothed segment. WV hen in the relative positions shown in Fig. 4, the pliers can be used as though no locking devices were present. By swinging the member 12 to the position indicated by dotted lines, it can be then shifted so that the flattened stud can slide through the narrow portion of the slot into the other bearing which is at the greater distance from the toothed segment, and then "said member is swungback until the first tooth engages the worm, after which further swinging is controlled' by rotating the worm. W hen the parts are in this condition, the closing and opening of the pliers is eected by rotating the worm, in a manner similar to the adjustment of a wellknown type of monkey wrench having a screw that is shifted by the rotation of a nut. rl`his form, like that of Figs. 1 and 2 will enable the tips of the jaws or the tips of the handles to be used as calipers, owing to the line adjustment obtainable by means of the worm.

1t will be readily understood that the Vshiftable worm illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may be used in connection with the shiftable pivot structure of Figs. 4 and 5. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that in order to make the shift which results in engaging or disengaging the worm and segment, it is necessary that the two members shall first be swung to or nearly totheir worm shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is mounted in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, so that the worm can be shifted Yfrom and to the segment, it will not be always necessary to open the jaws wide before shifting the pivot to the left-hand end of the slot 21. in other words, by combining in -one implement the structures illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, the advantages of both forms will be possessed by a single implement.

l do not herein claim the specific structure illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, of mounting the worm so that it can be shifted to and from engagement with the toothed segment or rack, as the same forms the subject matter of another application filed by me March 11, 1915.

I claim:

1. An implement of the character described, comprising two members, one member having a toothed segment and the other having a worm to cooperate with the segment, said members having a shiftable pivot connection to permit engagement or disengagement of the toothed segment and worm.

2. An implement of the character described, comprising two members, one member having a toothed segment and the other having a worm to coperate with the segnient, one of said members having a kevhole slot and the other having a pivot member shiftable along said slot to permit engagement or disengagement of the toothed segment and worm.

3. An implement of the character described, comprising two members, one member having a key-hole slot and a toothed segment adjacent said slot, the other member having a pivot stud extending through said slot and having a worm to cooperate with the toothed segment.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

KATHERINE E. ODOWD, Bessin L. IsNoR.

C'opes of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. C. 

